FORT WASHINGTON, PA, March 10, 2005 -- To maintain the highest levels of security and protection to its water supplies and infrastructure, Bexar Metropolitan Water District (BexarMet) was the first utility in southern Texas to employ the EcloxTM Rapid Response Water Test System from Severn Trent Services as part of its district-wide emergency response plan. The system can quickly and easily detect a broad spectrum of chemical and organic contaminants that may be present in a community water system.
BexarMet will have the system on hand to verify the safety and quality of the water they provide to over 80,000 customers located within a four county region.
With Eclox, the BexarMet staff can quickly and easily identify the presence of foreign substances in the district's 105 wells and 97 storage tanks that contain more than 50.2 million gallons of water. Since the Eclox system weighs less than 20 lbs. and is easily transported, district technicians are conveniently conducting testing from their company vehicles.
"We have conducted baseline testing with 72 samples from the area," said Roger Placencia, water quality supervisor for BexarMet. "Using Eclox will help us stay ahead of any potential problems that might affect our customers."
At the heart of the Eclox system is the innovative and patented luminometer, which allows the operator to quickly and inexpensively determine the relative toxicity of a water sample. The presence of toxins in a sample will reduce or delay the intensity of the light output. In fact, the reduction of light measured by the luminometer is proportional to the toxicity of the sample. The reaction happens quickly, verifying the safety of the water or alerting the operator to contamination in just a few minutes.
Created by the Texas Legislature in 1945, as a subdivision of the state of Texas, Bexar Metropolitan Water District (www.bexarmet.org) was established to serve the needs of residential, business and industrial customers within its boundaries. The district is governed by a seven-member board elected by the citizens they serve. Beginning with 4,765 customers, it currently provides water to a population of over 250,000 individuals in Bexar and three other counties. Today, BexarMet's 270 employees maintain 850 miles of pipeline, 70,000 meters, 105 wells, and 97 storage tanks that contain 50.2 million gallons of water. BexarMet has in production a nine mgd state-of-the-art water treatment plant using ultrafiltration technology.
Severn Trent Services (www.severntrentservices.com), based in Fort Washington, Pa., is a leading supplier of water and wastewater treatment solutions. The company's broad range of products and services is concentrated around disinfection, instrumentation, and filtration technologies, pipeline analysis, rehabilitation and repair services, contract operating services and state-of-the-art residential metering products and services. Its international management services business provides support in all aspects of water and wastewater utility development and transformation. Severn Trent Services is a member of the Severn Trent Plc group of companies.
###
